SERVES 4
FOR THE CHICKEN
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chipotle paste
juice of 1 lime, plus juice of ½
FOR THE ROAST TOMATOES
8 plum tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp harissa paste
1 tsp caster sugar salt and pepper
FOR THE REST
200g (7oz) quinoa (mixed colours if possible)
2 small avocados
juice of 3 limes
250g (9oz) chorizo
½ tbsp olive oil
25g (1oz) baby spinach leaves
6 spring onions, chopped
15g (½oz) coriander, chopped
½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE
200g pot of crème fraîche
finely grated zest of 1 lime
Method:
With a very sharp knife, make little slits in the chicken thighs on both sides. Rub with the olive oil, chipotle paste and juice of 1 lime. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight, or for a couple of hours. Bring it to room temperature before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Halve the tomatoes and put them in a single layer in a small roasting tin. Mix the olive oil, balsamic, cumin and harissa and pour it over. Turn the tomatoes over to coat. Leave cut side up. Sprinkle with the sugar and season. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until caramelized in patches and slightly shrunken.
Toast the quinoa in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, then put it into a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat a little, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones. Cut into slices lengthways, then carefully peel the skin off each slice. Season and squeeze over the juice of one of the limes.
Heat a griddle pan until it is really hot and put the chicken on it. Let it sizzle for two minutes. Turn and cook for another two minutes. Reduce the heat and cook until done all the way through, another four or five minutes. Slice and keep warm (just put them back on the griddle and cover). Cut the chorizo into rounds and sauté in the ½ tbsp of olive oil in a pan for about four minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Fork the quinoa, season it assertively and put it into a large broad, flat serving dish. Gently mix in the chorizo, chicken, baby spinach, spring onions, coriander, avocado, the juice of the other two limes, the white balsamic and the extra virgin olive oil. Dot the roast tomatoes in among everything else.
For the lime crème fraiche, mix the ingredients with the juice of ½ lime. Serve with the quinoa.
